Manchester City poised to land Benfica left-back after his club sign replacement

Manchester City could sign left-back target Álex Grimaldo from Benfica in January after it emerged today that the Portuguese champions have acquired a replacement on a pre-contract.

According to the O Jogo newspaper in Portugal, Benfica have landed Gremio left-back Marcelo Hermes on a pre-contract, and he will join the club in January at zero cost because his contract with the Brazilian side is up.

This could open the door for a Grimaldo exit, with Benfica reportedly willing to do business in the January transfer window and earn a huge profit on a player they signed for a modest fee from Barcelona last year.

City must be wary of rival interest if they move for 21-year-old Grimaldo in January, with Juventus one of the clubs said to have eyes on the exciting full-back. However, the presence of Pep Guardiola, a fellow graduate of the La Masia academy, could prove decisive if City make a January swoop for the player.

Grimaldo has 2 goals and 2 assists in 8 Liga NOS games this season, an impressive return for a left-back. He is also averaging 2.4 successful tackles per game, more than City’s left-backs Aleksandar Kolarov (1.6 per game) and Gaël Clichy (2.2 per game).